Ce. XIX.] ASSAULT AND EOBBEEY. 323 



r 



went into the streets for the purpose of making myself ac- 

 quainted with the Chinese people at home, pursuing their 

 avocations within doors and without — ^buying and seUing, 

 eating and drinking — all of which, and much more, may be 

 seen as one passes through the thoroughfares, and would 

 naturally attract the attention of an observant new-comer. 

 I had walked down Queen's Eoad, the main street of the 

 town, and, iatending to make a slight detour, turned into a 

 street leading up the hiU. In China there is not that differ- 

 ence in streets that one sees in England, and it is not so easy 

 to perceive at first, either by the dress of the people or other 

 signs, that one street is greatly inferior to another. It was just 

 mid-day, and the streets through which I was walking were 

 thronged with people, either passing to and fro, or standing at 

 the doors of their houses, or looking from their windows ; 

 but they were all, without exception, Chinese. Having gone a 

 short distance up the street in question, I crossed into a 

 parallel street, intending to descend into the Queen's Road 

 again, and was so descending when I found myself suddenly 

 in the midst of a knot of some eight or ten Chinamen. There 

 was nothing in their dress or appearance which directed my 

 attention to the probability that their object was robbery or 

 outrage ; and I was just passing on, when they made a 

 simultaneous rush upon me and pushed me down, one of 

 them striking me in the face, but so suddenly and unex- 

 pectedly that I had not a moment's opportunity for defence. 

 While several pinioned me on the ground one unbuttoned 

 my coat and detached my gold watch and chain, upon which 

 they all made off, leaving me to gather myself up as I best 

 could. Seizing my hat, which had, of course, been knocked 

 off in the scuffle, I started instantly in pursuit, being but 

 a few yards behind the scoundrels; but they knew their 



T 2 



